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According to a report by Premium Times, a Chief Magistrate Court in Gyadi-Gyadi Division, in Kano, on Wednesday, ordered the remand of three Sharia court judges, and 12 other judicial workers over the alleged theft of N500 million, as the accused persons are standing trial before the magistrate, Mustapha Datti, on a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of public trust, and theft.
The magistrate, however, did not name the accused
persons, as it is noted that the offences are contrary to sections 97, 79, 315,
and 289 of the Kano state penal code law and are punishable under the law, the
Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, which is
prosecuting the officials said.
The accused judicial officials are staff of the Kano
State Shari’a Court of Appeal. They include court registrars, cashiers, other
workers, and some external collaborators.
Premium Times also reported that arraigning the
accused before the court on Wednesday, the prosecution counsel, Zaharaddeen
Hamisu told the court that the judicial workers forged letterheads of the Kano
Sharia Court and signatures of the two signatories to the court’s Stanbic IBTC
bank and fraudulently withdrew N484,067,327:07.
The prosecution counsel also told the court the
accused perpetrated financial fraud by criminally facilitating the withdrawal
of N96,250,000.00 from the Kano State Pension Fund Trustee to the Account of
the Shari’a court and subsequently siphoned the same amount into different
private accounts.
The suspects created 15 fake civil servants’ death
benefit files and fraudulently convinced and claimed the cash benefits from the
pension board, the prosecutor told the court.
The defence lawyers argued that the
application was brought under sections 35 and 36 of the constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and sections 168 and 172 of
Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2019 of Kano.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the
charges, and their lawyers applied for their bail.
In a counterargument, the prosecution lawyer
cautioned the court to consider the huge amount involved in the alleged crime
in granting the bail. He urged them to order the defendants to deposit some
amount of money and or, valuable property before giving their prayers.
The magistrate adjourned the case to 1st February
for a hearing and ordered that all the defendants be remanded in a correctional
centre.
Culled from the Premium Times.
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